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A Christian Brother is awaiting a court trial in NSW

By a Broken Rites researcher, article updated 17 July 2018

Christian Brother David Curtin, who appeared in court in New South Wales in early 2017, charged with offences against boys at a boarding school thirty years ago, is scheduled now to face a trial in Sydney in early 2019.

Brother David Michael Curtin (born 7 April 1951) appeared in Goulburn Local Court (in southern NSW) on 8 March 2017, facing two charges of "sexual assault (category 4)/indecent assault of a person under his authority". Police alleged that Curtin sexually/indecently assaulted two boys aged 13 and 14 between March and December in 1986 at the former St Patrick’s boys' college in Goulburn. Curtin was allegedly a teacher and dormitory master at the school at the time. This court appearance was a brief initial procedure for prosecutors to file the charges. Curtin was not required to enter a plea at this stage.

On 10 May 2017, Brother Curtin (who now lives in Mulgoa near Sydney) appeared again in Goulburn Local Court, where prosecutors filed three additional charges of "sexual assault (category 4)/indecent assault of a person under his authority". Again, Curtin was not required to enter a plea at this stage.

Curtin was due to face trial in Sydney District Court on 7 May 2018. But Judge Helen Syme has postponed the trial until January 21, 2019, to give the prosecutors and defence time to complete their preparation. A readiness hearing will be held in the same court on November 30, 2018.

FOOTNOTE: The Goulburn Detectives Office has formed a unit, called Strikeforce Charish, to investigate allegations of offences against children at the former St Patrick's Christian Brothers College Goulburn. David Curtin is the fourth Christian Brother from St Patrick’s College to be charged by this unit.

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Since 1993, Broken Rites Australia has been researching the cover-up of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church. Too often, the church supported the offending clergy while ignoring the victims. For example, Broken Rites has shown how the church shielded the criminal priest Father Gerald Ridsdale for 32 years without reporting his crimes to the police. Finally, in 1993, some Father Ridsdale victims contacted the police. These victims also contacted the newly-formed Broken Rites.
This photo demonstrates why Broken Rites was needed. In the photo, Catholic priest Gerald Ridsdale (left, in sunglasses and hat) walks to court, accompanied by his support person (Bishop George Pell, then an auxiliary bishop in Melbourne), when Father Ridsdale was pleading guilty to his first batch of criminal charges in May 1993. But no bishop accompanied the victims, who felt deserted by the church leaders. Therefore, since 1993, Broken Rites research has supported many of the Catholic Church's victims, as shown on this website. Read More